Despite rumours to the contrary as well as a deal with Microsoft, it seems that Nokia has decided to continue to push on with development of Symbian powered handsets.  The Chief Executive Officer of Nokia, Stephen Elop confirmed that the company will continue making Symbian devices till at least 2016.  He told knowyourmobile.com: “[there is a] long history still to be paved for Symbian in the future.”

Some analysts are saying however that this comment is really a damage limitation exercise to show that Symbian has a future, although the same experts still feel the operating system is all but finished, and the deal with Microsoft proves it.

Without a doubt, Nokia has had a torrid time over the last 12 months or so in ensuring that Symbian is still a good platform.  However the last update was still heavily criticised by commentators. What’s more Nokia customers who still like Nokia devices told the company repeatedly that they now preferred Android.  Despite this feedback from their customer base, Nokia however turned to Microsoft instead.

One commentator told knowyourmobile.com he was “a bit surprised at the length of this extension of relevancy,” adding that he couldn’t “help but feel as though it’s all because Nokia’s breakup with Symbian was too emotional and they’re both trying to stay friends.”

There may also be another reason for Nokia suddenly announcing that Symbian is alive and well.  There may be a delay in launching Windows Phone 7 powered Nokia devices.  Many in the mobile phone world now don’t expect the first to be launched till the end of this year, but it might be even longer.